In Ancient Roman homes, the Lares were guardian deities protecting the household and its members. The statuettes were kept in small altars or brought to the table at special occasions, and they represented ancestors and family bonds.

Mirroring these, the “new Lares” are meant to be effigies and reminders of our own sense of belonging. Like contemporary connections and kinships, they are amorphous and fluid, but the sense of preciousness remains, as does the need to place them in a prominent spot and tend to them.